Woke up in west Des Moines. So, this is what Iowa looks like in the light. Flat. We went back to Panera again, this time for breakfast. Sadly, we learned that there were some good brew pubs in Des Moines a little too late. Wish we had that info the night before. Anyway, drugged the cats and went to get some breakfast and coffee. Bagel sandwiches and hazelnut coffee at Panera and some high cats and we were off, heading West on I-80.
Blew through the rest of Iowa and into Nebraska. This was the first time either of us had been in the Cornhusker State. Hit Omaha (somewhere in Middle America) right across the border. Saw Rosenblatt Stadium on the East end of town. Someday we will come back and see the College World Series when Georgia Tech can avoid choking in regional or super-regional round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Omaha was a much bigger city that I anticipated. Then again, so was Des Moines. I kept picturing college town-size cities for these plains states. I was wrong. A little further to Lincoln, which actually is a college town. The city was well off the freeway, so we only saw it in the distance. For anyone who has never driven through Nebraska, it is big. More than 400 miles from Iowa to Wyoming. At some point in mid-day, we crossed through Brady, NE. This is relevant, because it is the halfway point of our trip. 1400 miles from Oakton, VA. 1400 miles to Hillsboro, OR. [...]
Lucy is becoming an issue again. The kitty happy pills aren’t completely working. She looks very groggy and out of it, but she is fighting the effects and meowing constantly. She is nowhere near as bad as she was when we moved out to VA, but we were hoping for more of a knocked out kitty with the pink pills. We tried letting her out of the kennel to lie in the lap of whoever was in the passenger seat. She could only stay still for so long. Back in the kennel to hear her weak meows. Fortunately, she does not have the energy to be as bad as the last move. We had that going for us. Took most of the day, but finally reached Western Nebraska. To anyone driving the I-80, the nicest gas station bathroom in the country may be at the Shell station in Sidney, NE. No, seriously. That thing looks like a 4-star hotel bathroom. We laughed at the “classy restrooms” sign in front of the convenience store, but were pleasantly surprised when we used the facilities.
Made it through Nebraska before sundown and into Wyoming. Another new state for me! After making it through Nebraska, we decided it was a much nicer drive than its fellow flyover state, Oklahoma, which we drove through on the move east. And it isn’t even close. Nebraska was pretty in its own way and had its charm on a road trip. Oklahoma sucked. Wyoming looks gorgeous around sunset, especially with a near full moon out. Not too many lights around, but that is too be expected since this a large state with a small population. We decided to make it to Laramie (home of the University of Wyoming), because I found a brew pub we wanted to try for dinner, called Altitude. Cheyenne was a lot smaller that I thought it would be. I was thinking it would be a little smaller than Des Moines or Omaha, but not this much smaller. Cheyenne can barely be called a city. The sky was finally completely black in the drive between Cheyenne and Laramie. The drive was really pretty here. There was a little bit of snow off the freeway lighting up the reflection of the moon. We like Wyoming already. Nice to see some hills after all that flat.
Made it to Laramie and checked into the Motel 6 (always with the pets stay free). I caught one play of the Broncos/Steelers playoff game and it was the incredible winning play. Tebow to Demaryius Thomas on a short pass which he ran the length of the field for a winning TD in OT. Nice to see Thomas not have the dropsies, like he did at GT. Maybe it was divine intervention. Drove out to the Altitude Brew Pub, which is apparently closed on Sundays. Really?! We stayed in Laramie so we could go to a brew pub and that brew pub thinks it is in the bible belt, rather than a Western State! Fortunately, this is a college town and there are alternatives. Found a second brew pub called The Library. The Library more than made up for its rival’s ridiculous Sunday hours. Great dinner and beer. Dinner and pints for less than $30. I like this Wyoming college town. We added a new growler to our collection. It may or may not make its way all the way back to Oregon with us to share, full of Devil’s Tower Honey Ale. Back at the motel, Thomas is surprisingly curious. On the last move, he freaked every night and would hide under the bed. This time around, he wants to explore our motel rooms and has a genuine look of curiosity, rather than fear. Maybe he is becoming less of a fraidy cat. Lucy is out cold, probably because she has been fighting her happy pills all day.
The weather is cold and clear here. But not too cold. The fall-like weather throughout the trip has been nice for this January move. It is the first time we have seen sub-freezing temps on the drive. Hopefully this keeps up through the rest of Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho.
ME
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